Copper Development Association Issues New Guidance on Recycled Copper Procurement and Carbon Performance

Published: Sep 9, 2026 09:32

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The U.S. Copper Development Association has released new guidance for evaluating recycled copper content, carbon performance and circularity. CDA argues that higher recycled-content requirements do not necessarily increase total copper recovery, as limited scrap may simply be redirected between products. Its 2020 material-flow example estimates recovered scrap at around 42% of semi-finished copper demand, rising to only about 59% even if all currently unaccounted end-of-life scrap were theoretically recovered. CDA recommends reporting recycled content and product carbon intensity separately and avoiding uniform recycled-content targets across copper rod, tube, wire, rolled products and alloys.

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